So the handling of a Ford Mustang has been under fire for many years but finally, things seem to be looking up, even though this muscle car’s weight is often deemed to be the culprit behind the less than ideal handling.

But if you think the Mustang is the pits when it comes to handling, you have not met these sports cars which were small and light and yet handled so poorly that even a Mustang fares far better than them. And it's not as if these all were cheap sports cars, in fact, some of them are the best of the lot coming from brands that excel in making nifty speedsters for the road and the track.

So here go 10 sports cars that may be small, smaller than a Mustang but take on corners far worse than one. So would you still choose them over the Mustang?

10 1965 Shelby Cobra 427: A Painful Success

1965 Shelby Cobra 427
Via: Pinterest

This was perhaps the car that endeared Carroll Shelby to Ford and led to the making of the Ford GT40, the Ferrari killer. And the car was quite the little darling to look at, bearing a Ford 427 (a 7.0-liter V8) into the lithe Cobra body.

1965 Shelby Cobra 427 Rear Shot
Via: Autoclassics

But the car was nearly infamous in its handling, bearing even less torsion rigidity than the antiquated Model T. Bad roads meant the rear wheels would bounce so bad, even a horse-drawn carriage may have been more comfortable.

Related: 15 Sick Facts About Carroll Shelby And The Cars He Turned Into Legends

9 1974 Triumph TR7: A Beautiful Disaster

1974 Triumph TR7 Speeding On The Highway
Via: Flickr

In 1974, the Brits replaced the TR6 with the TR7 and the car looked absolutely stunning with its wedge-like shape that Triumph described as “the shape of things to come”. The only thing being, it flopped so bad, Triumph had to shut shop on car making and go back to motorcycles.

1974 Triumph TR7 On The Track
Via: Pinterest

Other than being unreliable and springing leaks everywhere, the TR7 would refuse to go into gear and was simply a very bad driving experience with shaky steering and the bumpiest ride ever. Many say, only the pop-up headlights worked without an issue, everything else was a problem.

8 1981 DeLorean DMC-12: Lost In The Past

1981 DeLorean DMC-12: Lost In The Past
Via: Twitter

Yes, we punned on the heading. For a car that was the star of Back To The Future, it is now well and truly lost in time though for many, it is still a dream classic. This sports car bore a V6 that jetted 130 horsepower, which would have been good but for its all-steel body that weighed it down.

1981 DeLorean DMC-12: Lost In The Past
Via: DeLorean

Yes, this car was actually heavier than the Mustang and drove so powerlessly that getting it to even 70 MPH was a huff-and-puff disaster. Forget drag co-efficient, this car was a true drag considering it drove slow and boring.

Related: These Sports Cars May Be Cool, But They're Useless On The Track

7 1997 Plymouth Prowler: The Damp Hot-Rod

1997 Plymouth Prowler - A Factory-Built “Hot Rod”
Via: Pinterest

So okay, technically, the Prowler was classified as a sports car, a roadster, although Chrysler tried to make a factory-built “hot rod” from it. That said the car looked bigger than it truly was and was, in fact, smaller than the Mustang.

1997 Plymouth Prowler - A Factory-Built “Hot Rod”
Via: ClassicCars

The V6 powerplant in it could handle all that weight making this an underpowered sports car with no agility, making handling and driving a big pain. With no manual transmission, the Prowler felt lacking and made for a sports car with bad handling.

6 1989 Ferrari 348: The Worst ‘Rary Ever

The Targa-Topped 1989 Ferrari 348 TS
Via: CollectingCars

The Ferrari 348 came after the insane success of the 308/328 series that firmly told the fans that the excellence of the mid-engine V8 was here to stay. But then they nullified it all with the Ferrari 348TB, the fixed-roof model, and the Targa-topped 348TS.

The Targa-Topped 1989 Ferrari 348 TS
Via: CollectingCars

With bad aesthetics and a shredder-like countenance, the worst bit of this Ferrari was that it was a pain to handle and especially difficult to corner with. At high speeds, keeping this Ferrari on its lane was near impossible.

Related: The 10 Most Expensive Ferraris In The World

5 1984 Pontiac Fiero: A Fiery End

1984 Pontiac Fiero Front Three Quarter
Via: Flickr

The Pontiac Fiero seemed to be a promising enough mid-engined car from General Motors for its time, and at the start, it was welcomed like a war hero with plenty of pomp and show. Only later, it turned out to be a car full of nothing but empty promises.

1984 Pontiac Fiero Rear Shot
Via: Pinterest

Reliability issues and engine fires apart, the Pontiac Fiero did not handle all that well, with a weak engine, and a shifter that seemed to be connected to the drivetrain with noodles rather than cables. With no power steering, the Fiero was a challenge to turn and corner.

Related: Car Companies Desperately Want Us To Think These Cars Are Fast (They're Not)

4 1974 Lamborghini Countach LP400: Stunning Fail

1974 Lamborghini Countach LP400 Barreling Down The Highway
Via: Pinterest

Posters of the Lamborghini Countach LP400 graced the wall of nearly every teeny-bopper out there in the ‘70s and even in the ‘80s, and you have to admit it is one stunning sportscar, backed by the Lamborghini name.

The 1974 Lamborghini Countach LP400 At The Show
Via: Flickr

But this is not a car for tall people, and if you are touching six feet, you are going to feel very squished in the car. For all its looks, the Countach does not make for a comfortable or even confident ride, and cornering takes gumption. Especially at anything over 80 MPH.

3 1992 Dodge Viper: Insane Ride

Gen 1 1992 Dodge Viper
Via: Pinterest

So no one saying is that the Dodge Viper, Gen 1, is a bad car, per se. It was an awesome concept and the car when it came to be, looked even better, with a huge and heavy V10 engine in the front that led to one very speedy ride.

1992 Dodge Viper Rear Shot
Via: Flickr

The problem with the Demon is the huge and heavy V10 engine in an otherwise small car that lends such insane speed, you have got to be one very careful, light-on-the-acceleration driver to be able to take it on and control it. Not only on the track but also the road. The Mustang offers better handling.

2 1985 Toyota MR-2: Japanese Excellence?

1985 Toyota MR-2 Front Three Quarter
Via: Twitter

In the ‘80s Toyota decided to come out with a sports car that could rival the Ferrari, and it came with looks to match. It was mid-engined and came with plenty of power for its pint-sized nature, and it was the perfect poor man’s Ferrari 308.

1985 Toyota MR-2 Two-Door
Via: Twitter

But for the simple fact that the MR2 loved to oversteer, or rather snap oversteer when the car decides to basically slide because of too light a weight and too heavy a power. The MR2 still has its fans but it's not a great car to handle, especially when compared to the Mustang.

1 1961 MG Midget: Classic Brit Stiffness

The MG Midget Is As Classic A British Sports Car As They Come
Via: Flickr

The MG Midget is as classic a British sports car as they come, and compared to a Mustang looks nearly minuscule, so it does come very aptly named. And while it's one popular cult classic, loved even in the US, it's not an easy car to drive.

The Classic British Sports Car - 1961 MG Midget
Via: Wikimedia

If you think that the size of the car will make it an easy little thing to maneuver, you’d only be partly right because this stubborn little beauty refuses to accelerate with any gumption, and everything else simply rattles and clinks. Plus fitting a tall frame into this car is an art.